Action plan will tackle flooding in black spot

Councillors and representatives from Network Rail meet at the flooding black spot

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AN action plan has been drawn up to tackle one of the worst flooding spots in the borough.

Station Road leading under Esher Train Station Bridge has experienced severe flooding for a number of years, with the first recorded complaint in 1911.

With water levels often reaching 2ft deep, commuters are forced to seek an alternative route home from the station, taking a major detour.

Now, in a bid to finally solve the problem, engineers and officers from Network Rail and Surrey County Council came together in a meeting organised by Weston Green councillor Tannia Shipley.

The Thames Ditton and Weston Green Resident’s Association councillor has been trying to solve the flooding problem for the past eight years.

She said: “There has been severe flooding to the point that you can’t walk under the bridge. It is approximately 2ft deep and it is above your ankles.

“For people living in Weston Green ward, that’s the only way they can get home. They have to phone relations to pick them up, which causes mayhem around there.

“I used to ring Surrey County Council and they would clear the gullies and that would sort it out for three to four months. But I realised it was a much bigger problem.”

Cllr Shipley discovered that one of the main problems was a blocked culvert that runs along the Ditton Common from Station Road to the Hampton Court Way.

When Network Rail engineers examined CCTV footage of the blocked pipe, it showed fish swimming through the water inside.

Despite previous attempts to sort out the problem — including £35,000-worth of work by Network Rail — a lack of communication between different agencies meant the area continued to become waterlogged.

At a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Shipley and Surrey County councillor Peer Hickman joined representatives from Surrey County Council, Network Rail and Thames Water to discuss the work that needed to be carried out.

A 12-point action plan was drawn up, which included clearing out the culvert and regularly maintaining pipes.

Cllr Shipley said she hopes that by working together, the different agencies will help to bring about a long-term solution.